Kentish Express Ashford & District
Brexit lorry ban could extend for indefinite period
Traffic measures may become permanent
Temporary restrictions on HGV parking on Kent’s streets and lay-bys could now remain indefinitely.
The measures were supposedly brought in to assist Kent County Council to deal with any traffic chaos following the ending of the Brexit transition period at the start of the year.
From January 1, KCC obtained powers from the Department of Transport to clamp any lorry over five tons that parked for more than 45 minutes on any road within seven districts of Kent (a few lay-bays on the A249, A299 and A256 were exempted from the rules.)
The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order was to last only six months and was intended to help KCC manage any backlog of vehicles struggling to cope with new Brexit legislation.
In fact there have been remarkably few traffic problems - helped perhaps by lighter than usual traffic volumes due to Covid - but now members of the environment and transport cabinet committee want the ban extended indefinitely and also enlarged to cover the whole of Kent.
The justification is no longer the control of Brexit but a simple desire to get lorries off the streets.
Cllr Harry Rayner (Con) led the charge, supported by Cllr David Brazier (Con) who said: “It used to be the case that every lane, lay-by, nook and cranny was infested nightly with HGVs with all the deeply unpleasant consequences of their stopping over night.”
He said: “This (ban) has been
needed for years. It’s brought tremendous relief to many residents. To relinquish the powers at the end of six months would be an unthinkably backward step.”
Cllr Andrew Bowles did not think the problem had yet been solved, suggesting there was still a lot of on-street overnight HGV parking going on in his Swale division.
Members heard that up until March 14, KCC had clamped 1,560 vehicles, a rate of roughly 25 a day. Of the offenders, 82% had turned out to be to foreign-registered drivers.
Yet despite raking in the fines of £185 a time, the council’s officers were still expecting the service to have a net cost of more than £200,000 by July - because enforcement teams were out 24/7 with most of the infringements being at night.
The news will come as a blow to many in the transport industry. HGV driver Sebastian Barrow, who was hoping to have the ban rescinded, said: “This has obviously upset a huge number of people within the haulage industry.
“It makes no allowance for the delays sometimes experienced through accidents, delays at delivery or collection points or even delays at the ports.
“What happens when a driver is caught out? Is he supposed to drive beyond his permitted hours to get out of Kent, possibly putting himself and others in danger, or should he park up?”
Mr Barrow said it was not always possible to park in a designated overnight stop because they were often full.
He added: “I don’t think they have any idea of how the road haulage industry works.”
However, Cllr Bowles pointed out that only 1% of those clamped had been repeat offenders, which he suggested, was evidence that there were alternative places to park.
At present, the parking ban applies to roads in the boroughs of Ashford, Maidstone and Swale, and in the districts of Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe and Thanet.
KCC has already applied to the government to extend it Tunbridge Wells.
After a unanimous vote, the cabinet member for highways Cllr Michael Payne(Con) is being urged to ask for an extension to cover the whole of Kent.
‘This ban has been needed for years. It’s brought tremendous relief to residents.’